Week 18  December 12-16


We have finished our middle of the year testing, and I am very pleased with the progress the students have made.  We have two more quarters to go, so please parents, watch and make sure your chapter book reader is reading at least 15 minutes each night.  They should be returning them approximately every 10 days for a new book.  Leveled Readers, please continue reading the same books for 15 minutes each night.  You may do one each night if you like, but 15 minutes is the minimum. And, don't forget to sign the log!
Leveled Readers due on Monday.


We have our chaperones for the field trip January 17 to the Arizona
Historical Museum in Mesa.  This will be such a fun day!  The cost is $10 per student, and you may send that in their green folders to Mrs. Zavala as soon as possible.  I would like to have all the money in before we leave on our holiday break.


This week in 1B:


History:

Christianity is the next religion we will be discussing this week.  Students will learn key elements of this religion and will learn why Jesus is a key figure to Christians.

Literature
Students will continue to read the Frog and Toad All Year  book and will be able to retell the story while highlighting important details.
Poem:
Table Manners – Recite on Friday!
Spalding:
Monday: mine, chair, forgot, guess, hang meat, mouse, phone, store, supper
Tuesday: Through, toe, became, brother, rain, keep start, mail, male, female
Wednesday: eye, I glass, party, upon, two, twin, twice, twelve, twenty, between
Thursday: Write each word once with markings.
Friday: Test
Writing:
Students will be able to understand the basic  conventions of a proper sentence and rewrite a model sentence.
The story we will be using is Winnie-the-Pooh.
Grammar:
We will review parts of a sentence, and then work as a team to develop complete sentences.  We will also review our adverb and adjective jingles.

Math:

This week we will begin reviewing all of our math units from the past two quarters in order to prepare for our final cumulative test. We will start by doing some graphing in class by taking surveys of our favorite things. We will then review how to identify and sort shapes as well as ordinal positions. We will spend the most time working on our math and subtraction concepts in order to reach a level of mastery on our skills. Wednesday will be very exciting because we will go on a math treasure hunt around the school to have some fun and practice solving our math facts!

Science:

This week we will continue to study electricity! We will read Thomas Edison’s biography and discuss his virtues and inventions. We will conduct an experiment using magnets, and use what we discover to learn about conductors and insulators. We will also learn about electrical circuits. We will also review how to be safe with electricity and why that is important. Finally, we will list the many ways that electrical power affects our lives and how our lives would be different if we didn’t use electricity.

Ask me about:

Ask me about the lamp called Menorah.

Ask me about static electricity.

Ask me how I would measure my dining room table.

Virtue of the Month:  Humility

"The soul is healed by being with children.

~Fyodor Dostoyevsky

(So this is why I feel so healthy!) :)

Have a great week!

 

Week 17  December 5-9


A look forward:
January 17 will be our field trip to the Museum of Natural History.  We will leave at 8:15 and return after lunch in the park.  I will accept the first six parents who would like to volunteer for this fun event as chaperones.  Also, the cost is $10.00 each and we are starting to collect that now.  Just send the money in an envelope addressed to Mrs. Zavala and put it in your student's green folder. More information and  permission forms will be forthcoming.


Monday: Leveled readers returned.
This Week in 1B:

Idiom:

The more the merrier!

Poem:

Table Manners by Burgess

Writing:

Students will create proper sentences, and rewrite model sentences using the story The Reluctant Dragon.

Grammar:

Students will be introduced to adjectives, and we recognize that adjectives make a noun or pronoun more interesting.  They also modify a noun or pronoun. 

Literature:

We will begin our last book in The Frog and Toad series, Frog and Toad All Year.  We will discuss the virtues of courage. Perseverance, wisdom, humility and friendship in the stories.

Spelling:

Monday: life, here, car, word, ev er y, un der, most, made, said, says, say
Tuesday: work, our, more, when, from, form, wind, wind, print, air
Wednesday: Fill, a long, lost, name, room, hope, same, glad, with
Thursday: Write each word once with markings.
Friday: Spelling Test

Math:

This week in math we will continue to work work on measurement. We will learn about capacity, comparing lengths, and measuring using non-standard units such as paperclips and beads. During math centers we will continue to review addition and subtraction.

History:

This week in History we will continue our study of Judaism.  Students will learn about the celebration called Hanukkah, and will read a story regarding the background of the holiday.  Many other celebrations will be discussed, and then we will make our own menorahs and eat some challah bread!

Science:

We will be learning about atoms and electricity this week! We will learn about the main parts of an atom and build a model to show protons, electrons, and neutrons. We will also use balloons to make discoveries about static electricity and read about Benjamin Franklin and his lightning experiment. Finally, students will be introduced to current electricity and circuits.

Virtue of the Month:  Humility

"The sufficiency of my merit is to know that my merit is not sufficient." ~ St. Augustine

Have a wonderful week!

 

Week 16  November 28-December 2


I hope everyone had a relaxing time with family and friends!
We are ready to begin another week in 1B!


Literature:

We will continue in  Frog and Toad Together, reading stories about being brave and courageous, and listening to dreams.  There will be a short comprehension check for this book on Friday.

Idiom:

Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today.

Poem:

Table Manners by Burgess

Spelling:

Monday: gold, read, read, red, fine, can not, May, may, line, left

Tuesday: ship, train, saw, pay, large, near, down, why bill, want

Wednesday: girls, girl, part, still, place, re port, nev er, found, side, kind

Phonograms:

g  l  r  w  ai  aw  ir  ou  sh  wh

Writing

Our focus passages this week will be excerpts from Master of All Masters, and The Dog and His Reflection.

Grammar:

Students will unscramble sentences and then classify them.  We will ask questions while assisting them in labeling the parts of the sentence. On Friday there will be an assessment to check the student’s understanding of concepts presented thus far.

Science:

This week we will be wrapping up our unit about matter by learning about changes in states of matter. We will complete some experiments to observe melting, freezing, evaporation, and condensation. On Wednesday, we will review for an assessment about the states of matter. Then, students will take review sheets home to study for a quiz on Friday. We will end the week with a fun experiment with Oobleck and discuss whether it is a solid or a liquid!

History:

In the the World History and Geography section of our Core knowledge Curriculum, we introduce children to not only ancient civilizations but also to topics in the history of world religions.  Many people who contributed to the Core Knowledge curriculum agreed that religion is a shaping force in the history of civilization and thus should be a part of what our children know about.  In introducing children to the history of world religions, we focus on major symbols, figures, and stories. Our goal is to be descriptive, not prescriptive, and to maintain a sense of respect and balance.  As we share about the symbols, figures, and stories I mention to our scholars that these are practices and beliefs of the people of that religion. If you practice one of our studied religions please feel free to send in any symbols to sharing.

This week we will begin our study of the three major monotheistic religions which worship One God.  They are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Our journey begins with Abraham and Moses this week.  We will learn about their faith in God and the promises God made to the Hebrew people.  We will look at maps which show the travels of Abraham as he moved into “The Promised Land”, and retell the story of Moses dealing with Pharaoh in Egypt and the plagues God sent to cause Pharaoh to let the people leave Egypt and return to “The Promised Land.

Have a great week!

 

 

Week 15  November 21-22


This is our Thanksgiving week and the students will not have homework.  Have a wonderful break and come back refreshed on Monday, November 28! 


This week in 1B:


Students are very excited about their Egypt Party on Monday!  Thank you parents for helping out with this.  It was a fun unit, and I know we have created memories for a lifetime.

Literature: This week, we will read chapter 3, “Cookies” from Frog and Toad Together. We will discuss the importance of having will power and determination, and we will also put our own will power to the test!

 Spalding: There will not be a spelling test this week, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Instead, please practice your phonograms. We will take a graded WPR (written phonogram review) on Tuesday in class.

 Writing: copy work and narration exercises from The Railway Children

 Grammar: We will use our question and answer flow to classify and build sentences.

Math:

This week we will finish up our shapes unit by reviewing how to identify and categorize 2D shapes as well as put them into a pattern. We will take our Unit 7 test on Monday. On Tuesday, we will take our units 1-6 cumulative test only after reviewing how to add and subtract within 20 and how to count up and down within 20. We will show courage and rise to the challenge of having two tests! 

 Homework:

Monday: Cumulative test B Units 1-6

Tuesday: N/A- R&R

History:      

This week will be a lot of fun with our Egyptian Party, which is the culminating event for our Egyptian Unit.  Tuesday we will have a variety of Thanksgiving learning activities and read a book about the history of the Pilgrims and some of their adventures in the New World.


Have a Blessed holiday season!

 

 

Week 14 November 14-18
What a busy week we have!  Don't forget the concert on Wednesday!
Winter concert:
The Archway Arete music concerts are this coming Wednesday, November 16th at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts.  Kindergarten, first, and second grades will perform at 5:30 p.m. with Kindergarteners arriving at 4:45 and 1st and 2nd graders arriving at 5:00 p.m.   Third, fourth, and fifth grades will perform at 7:00 p.m. with arrival at 6:30 p.m.  Please make sure to read this letter from Mrs. Kaye for specifics on required concert attire and arrival times.  We look forward to spending a wonderful evening with you!

Please remember also we are adjusting our dress to the winter code.

Winter Dress Code:
Beginning this Monday, November 14th, students will be required to follow the winter dress code.  Shorts are no longer allowed and must be replaced by navy pants. Skirts are still permitted but must be worn with tights or long socks.  Please email any dress code questions to our Dean of Students, Mrs. Kaye


Picture retakes are on November 18.  Please return your pictures if you want a retake.


Reading books returned on Monday! Parents, as a reminder, it is critical that you read these books each night with your student.  They will read to me and if they are not fluent (reading smoothly without sounding out words), I will keep them in the same level.  These are foundational skills you and I are working on together.  They may read something else if they finish before the 15 minute allotment.


Ask be about:
Ask me about the caterpillar that is eating Mrs. Ellingson's basil plant.
Ask me about the balloon we blew up without the use of air!
Ask me about the friendship that Frog and Toad have shown each other in our first book.



This week in 1B:
Literature: This week we will be starting Frog and Toad Together. Please bring in your books on Monday! We will read chapters 1 and 2 this week and discuss different virtues found in each chapter.

 Spalding: We have 30 words this week and will test on Friday! Please remember to copy and classify the sentences on the spelling homework! Students must identify the “heart of the sentence”: the subject noun and verb. We have also added in adverbs, so please label these with “adv”.

Monday: noon, think, sister, cast, card, south, deep, inside, blue, post
Tuesday: town, stay, grand, outside, dark, band, game, boat, rest, east
Wednesday: son, sun, help, hard, race, cover, fire, wire, tire, age
Phonograms to study: d, g, n, r, s, ar, ay, ea, ee, oa

 Writing: copy work and narration exercises from different poems!

Grammar: We are reviewing nouns, verbs, and adverbs this week. We will also practice classifying sentences using our Shurley English question and answer flow.
Idiom: “Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today.”
Poem: “Thanksgiving Day” – We will recite one stanza (of each student’s choice) on Friday!

Math:

 This will be a very exciting week as we begin working with 2D and 3D shapes! We will learn how to classify shapes based on different attributes. We will also learn how to create and recognize different patterns using shapes. As always, we will continue to review the foundations such as counting, addition, and subtraction. On Wednesday we will have our third week of math centers and we will be getting hands on with our shapes as well as our addition and subtraction concepts.
Homework:
Monday: WB 125-127
Tuesday: 129-130
Wednesday: 133-134
Thursday: 137-138
Friday:141-142

History:

This week is our final week studying Ancient Egypt.  We will review for our assessment on Wednesday, and the students can take those home to study for the test on Thursday.  We will finally examine our mummified apples and determine if our hypotheses were correct or not.  This should be really fun and amazing for them!

Science:

This week we will learn about measurement, finding the length and weight of solids and the volume of liquids. We will use rulers, scales, and measuring cups to compare items around the classroom. First, we will learn about inches, feet, yards, and miles. Then, we will weigh items in ounces and pounds. Finally, we will learn about volume by measuring water in cups, pints, quarts, and gallons.

Virtue of the Month:

Courage ~

You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore. ~ William Faulkner

May your week be filled with many opportunities to be  courageous!

 

Week 13  November 7-11
Winter Uniform Dress Code Update 
Due to warmer temperature, students may wear the summer dress code until Thursday, November 10th (there is no school on Friday). Beginning Monday, November 14th, students will be required to follow the winter dress code. Pants will be required or skirts must be worn with tights or long socks.  
 Picture Retakes

Please note that picture retakes are on November 18th, not November 8th, as was previously scheduled.  

Parents, please remember that if you want to retake your child's picture you must return the picture folder previously given to you.

Ask me about:
Ask me what the three states of matter are.
Ask me about the process of mummification.
Ask me about Howard Carter and what he discovered in 1922.
Ask me about my favorite fable which was read in the classroom.

This week in 1B:

Literature: In Literature, we will be finishing up Frog and Toad Are Friends. We will reread chapter 4, “A Swim,” and read and discuss chapter 5, “The Letter”. On Thursday, we will take our first comprehension check over this book. Please bring in Frog and Toad Together by the end of the week to begin reading when we get back from the 3-day weekend!

 Spalding: There are only 20 words this week due to the shortened week. We will test on Thursday!

 Monday: far, gave, alike, add, brave, corn, dance, dinner, doll, egg

Tuesday: fruit, looks, pick, rich, zoo, zip, zero, seven, forget, happy

Phonograms to practice: c, d, p, v, z, ar, ear, er, or, ui

Writing: Our copy work and narration exercises this week come from The Saturdays.

 Grammar: We will be working with adverbs this week! We will review the adverb jingle and discuss its function in sentences. We will also learn how to identify adverbs in sentences, using the question and answer flow.

 

Idiom: “Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today.”

 

Poem: Thanksgiving Day – We will recite one stanza (of their choosing) the following week!

 

Math:

In math this week we will review how to add and subtract numbers within 20 using our "count back", "count on", and "making 10" strategies. On Wednesday we will have our second round of math centers and we will get up close and personal and use our hands to grow our math skills. At the end of the week we will have our Unit 6 Chapter 2 test and introduce geometrical shapes!

 

Homework:

Mon:105-107

Tues: 111-113

Wed:6.2 Test B

Thurs: 120-122

Fri:125-127

History:

Students will learn about how the farmers of the Nile River valley transported their crops to communities along the Nile River.  They will learn how reed boats were made and watch an educational video on the life of the Nile River then, and now. We will also learn how the papyrus tree was used to make paper.

Science:

This week in science we will be discovering more about the different states of matter. We will find solids, liquids, and gas in the classroom and discuss the differences between them. We will also make observations about balloons that are filled with air, water, and ice. The class will practice the steps of the scientific method by conducting an experiment using a bottle, baking soda, vinegar, and a balloon. We can’t wait to see what happens when we put those together!


Virtue of the month: Courage
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.     ~Winston Churchill


Have a wonderful week!

Week 12  October 31-November 4


Parents, students may return their readers on Tuesday this week.  We will continue with our reading groups on Wednesday and Friday this week.  Thank you for taking the time to come in and read with the students.


Math groups start this Wednesday.  Please arrive to the class at 1:05 and I will go over what your group is doing. :)

Picture Retakes 

 

Please make note that picture retakes will be taken on Friday, November 18th.  The date that was originally set on the calendar reflected November 8th, which is incorrect. Thank you in advance for understanding and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.



This week in 1B:


Literature: Monday is our Read-a-thon! We will be exploring all kinds of books and doing many after-reading activities. We can’t wait to see what literary or historical character everyone dresses up as! We are continuing Frog and Toad Are Friends and will read chapters 2, 3, and 4 this week.

 Spalding: 30 words this week – Test on Friday!

 Monday: came, Sunday, show, Monday, moon, yet, find, give, new, letter

Tuesday: take, Mr., Mister, after, thing, what, than, its, his, her

Wednesday: it’s, very, or, thank, dear, west, sold, told, best, form

 Phonograms to practice: i, m, o, t, w, ew, oo, or, ow, th

 Writing: Our narration and copy work exercises come from “Today is Monday” and “Old Mother Hubbard”.

 Grammar: We will be reviewing the four types of sentences, learning about abbreviations and titles of respect, and introducing our adverb jingle!

 Poem: “Thanksgiving Day” (Select 1 stanza to work on and memorize!)

 We will also learn the poem “Solomon Grundy” at our Read-a-thon! J

 

Idiom:

“Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today.”

Math:

This will be a very exciting week in math! Students will be adding and subtracting two-digit numbers with one-digit numbers as we start learning all about place value. On Monday, during our read-a-thon we will get to conceptualize math in a new way as we learn from some great mathematical literature. Most exciting of all will be Wednesday when we will have our first round of math centers! 

 

Homework: 

Monday: none

Tuesday: WB 87-88

Wednesday: WB 92-92

Thursday: WB 95-96

Friday: WB 99-101

 

Science:

This week, students will review what they have learned about oceans and take a quiz on Wednesday. After that, we will begin our unit on Matter. The class will observe solids, liquids, and gases in bags and describe them. After discovering the properties of solids, liquids, and gases, the class will sort different items into those categories.

 

History:

Students will experience the process of mummification first hand by using natron salt on an apple.  We will create a hypotheses, and anticipate the results.  We will read about the famous discovery of King Tutankhamen and learn more about his earthly reign as pharaoh.

 

 Virtue of the month:  Honesty

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Have a wonderful week!